FIONA
FIONA's 6 minutes....
1.What do you do and how old are your child(ren)?
I’m 42 and my daughter is 10
2.What’s your journey to motherhood been like?
Becoming a mum was the best thing that’s ever happened to me, but it’s definitely not been
an easy ride. I’d have loved to have been a stay-at-home mum when my daughter was
younger, but that was never an option for me, so I had a lot of guilt and anxiety around that
in the early years. Now my daughter is older, I’ve started to really enjoy working again.
3.How quickly did you go back to work and do you have any regrets?
I went back to work when my daughter was almost one and I was still breastfeeding twice a
day. Even though I went back for three days a week only, I didn’t feel ready and wanted to
be at home with my daughter. I don’t have any regrets though, I stayed off as long as I could
afford to financially.
4.What’s your most memorable child related incident as a WorkingMama?
When I was working in Dubai, there were definitely occasions that I turn up to interview
people at a posh hotels and end up pulling a Peppa Pig pencil out of my handbag instead of
my Armani pen!
5.Which Working Mama inspires you?
I think most working mums are inspirational! I have a friend who is a single mum-of-two
who runs her own business yet manages to do all the school runs and make playdates. She’s
super woman.
6.What are your top tips for all the WorkingMamas out there?
1. Be present. Try not to think about your kids while you’re at work and vice versa.
2. Get some me time. Though it’s important to spend quality time with your children outside
of work, if you don’t create space for yourself, you’ll soon burnout.
3. Embrace your transferable skills. I found I was much more patience and empathetic after
returning from maternity leave.